The Liberty University Women’s Soccer team defeated Queens University of Charlotte 4-1 Sept. 4 in a gritty match. The Lady Flames showcased their strengths on the field both offensively and defensively against the Lady Royals.
Liberty snagged the lead early on in the first half with a goal by junior midfielder Avenley Monteith, assisted by redshirt junior forward Halle Engle. The Lady Flames were aggressive out of the gate, maintaining possession of the ball to hold off the Lady Royals.
The second goal of the night came from redshirt senior midfielder Briana Myers with an assist from junior defender Carly Keene, giving the Lady Flames a 2-0 lead against the Lady Royals.
“(Myers) had a big-time goal. She doesn’t always get a lot of credit, but she’s an amazing player for us,” Engle said. “Unstoppable. The hardest worker I know, and she got us a good goal tonight to help us win.”
Engle went on to score an unassisted goal to bring the Lady Flames’ lead to 3-1 during the first half after bringing the ball down the field herself and sinking a hard shot into the back of the net.
“I’ve been really working on the no-hesitation mindset,” Engle said. “… So I just dribbled all the way, no hesitation, and I just finished the ball.”
The Lady Royals managed to chip in a goal at the end of the first half, bringing the score to 3-1 and slowing the Lady Flames’ momentum until the break.
“Giving them (Queens) that goal late in the first half gave them a little bit of extra spirit, and we had to manage that a little bit better,” Head Coach Lang Wedemeyer said.
The Lady Flames ended the first half with 13 shots on goal while limiting the Lady Royals to only four.
Queens came off the bench with aggression to start the first half, holding off the Lady Flames until freshman forward Brooklyn Jenkins scored a goal with an assist by sophomore forward Avery Paulson. The Lady Flames managed another 13 shots on goal, bringing them to a game total of 26.
The Lady Flames defense was on point throughout the duration of the game, limiting Queens to a game total of four shots on goal. After the late goal by Queens in the first half, the Lady Flames defense tightened, preventing the Lady Royals from scoring.
Sophomore defender Maddyson Kerley, senior defender Kayla Magee and senior midfielder and defender Elise Graf had a great defensive performance against Queens.
“It’s been really good to see … Kerley step in. … I think it’s really nice to see how she’s stepped into a starting role and played really consistently over the last two games,” Wedemeyer said.
Liberty’s 4-1 win came from a true team effort as many players earned minutes, cementing the win with equal efforts both offensively and defensively.
“We got a lot of players into the game,” Wedemeyer said. “We’re kind of hurting from an injury standpoint, but I was happy to see a lot of the younger players get substantial minutes and do well.”
The Lady Flames only lost a few upperclassmen after last season, allowing the team to build on what they started last fall. Now in game seven this season, the team is starting to see the impact of their chemistry on the field.
“We’ve been playing together for over a year now,” Engle said. “So we’ve got those connections with one another. We’ve worked a lot off the pitch, growing those connections, and you can see it in our play.”
With a 4-1-2 overall record so far this season, the Lady Flames went into their match against a No. 9 ranked Penn State team Sept. 7 where they fell 3-0 at home.
The Lady Flames will look to replenish their winning streak as they face the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Sept. 11 at 6:00 p.m. in Osbourne Stadium.
Wachowiak is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.